Page 150 of Sweetheart
Our happily-ever-after started with a list and ended with an I love you.
It was the best first, and I knew my love for Sam Bishop would last forever.
Epilogue
"Has anyone seen Aurora?" I asked.
"Not for a while," Freya said. "She went to the bathroom and hasn't come back out."
"But we're on in"—I checked my phone—"13 minutes."
Charlotte nudged my arm. "I'm sure she'llbe here."
"Of course, she will," Viola said, practicing some last fingerings on her cello. "Unless she ran away with a member of the band."
"Or the stage crew," Freya put in.
"Why would she do that?" I asked.
"Look around. There are some beautiful people back here."
I could see what she meant. Backstage at a HERS show was nothing to scoff at. Besides the members of the band, who were each undeniably attractive in their own way, I saw a lot of important looking people floating around. The glitz and glamor of a real concert surrounded us on all sides. But I didn't think Aurora would bail. Not for a second.
"Aurora would never hang us out to dry like that," I said.
"She might."Viola shook her head when I looked at her. "Can't you hear that crowd out there? You have to admit, Scarlett. That'sslightly terror-inducing."
As the lights flickered and a member of the crew walked across the stage to check the amps then waved at the crowd, the volume level roseconsiderably. I felt some fear, yes. But for the most part, the sound of all those voices made me smile.
"It's amazing," I said. "I never thought we'd play at an event like this."
Charlotte shrugged. "Guess we have Sam to thank for that."
"And ourselves," Freya added. "There's no way they would've accepted us, nepotism or not, if we weren't at least passably good."
"You're right, Freya. And we're better than that." I gave her a nod. "The Kent cousins are freaking incredible."
Aurora came up to me then and stepped in close.
"I don't think I can do this," she whispered, eyes locked on what little we could see of the crowd from backstage.
"You can, Ror," I said, turning her to face me. "Don't be scared. We'll all be out there with you."
"Yeah, but—"
"We're playing the same set we've worked on for months. It'll be a piece of cake."
Aurora still didn't look convinced.
So, I decided to try and distract her.
"Did I tell you the festival I organized went well?" I asked.
"No," she murmured. "How much did you raise?"
"A fair amount."
Charlotte scoffed. "She's being modest. I heard it was at least double what Chariot High raised in any previous year."
